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| Newsletter May 2009 |
| Foreword |
| Upcoming Events |
| Service & Information |
| Latest Events |
| SME Lex |
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Dear Members of the SME UNION, dear friends of SMEs!
The beginning of spring means also the start of many dynamic, blossoming and fruitful events. The SME UNION of the EPP announces our upcoming events in the next months and is looking forward to vivid discussions of vital European SME issues. Europe is in the midst of a severe economic crisis and therefore it is of utmost importance that we fight for the right means to overcome these challenges. The political campaign for the European Parliament elections provides us an excellent opportunity to transport our messages to a broad audience.
April – EPP Congress and SME UNION conference in Warsaw
We kindly invite you to join our SME Union Poland conference “Challenges for SMEs in Times of Crisis" in Warsaw, Poland on Wednesday 29 April 2009, preceding the Plenary Session of the EPP Congress, and to the Cultural Programme the next day, Thursday 30th April 2009. With speakers like Commission President Barosso and European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering the EPP’s pan-European campaign for the June European Parliament election will be launched. More than a dozen European heads of state or governments from our political family already announced their participation.
May - SME Week and SME UNION conference in Prague
We encourage you to participate at the 1st European SME Week, organized by the European Commission that will take place from 6 to 14 May 2009. This European wide campaign will promote entrepreneurship across our continent and will inform entrepreneurs about support available for them at European, national and local level. In this framework, on 13 May in Prague, the SME UNION, the SME Union Czech Republic and Chamber partners will organize a joint conference to which you are all cordially welcome.
Tackling late payments
Furthermore in the framework of the 1st European SME Week, the SME UNION is picking up this burning issue and is organizing together with Intrum Justitia a Working Breakfast on “Prompt Payment more urgent than ever - New EU Late Payment data and trends” on 12 May in the European Parliament.
June – SME UNION General Assembly in Athens
The SME UNION will hold its annual General Assembly 2009 on Monday 29 June in Athens, Greece in cooperation with our Greek business friends from Nea Demokratia. Our events will be held in the framework of the EPP-ED study days, giving our members the chance to meet all the newly elected EPP-ED MEPs and saying farewell to those who will leave the group. I invite already now all our members to take an active part in this event. Further information will follow.
July – Start of the Swedish EU Council Presidency
On 1st July the EU Council Presidency changes from the Czech Republic to Sweden. The SME UNION will put forward our priorities for the upcoming Swedish Presidency to make sure that Sweden will lead the EU in a stable way creating an economic, fiscal and logistical environment in which entrepreneurial initiatives can prosper.
Further details about all these and other events and useful SME information you will find in this edition of our Newsletter. We wish you a fruitful reading and are looking forward to welcoming you at our next events.
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2009-04-28/30, Prague, Czech Republic, European Patent Forum and PATINNOVA 2009
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Combining three key events on the IP calendar - the European Patent Forum, PATINNOVA 2009 and the European Inventor of the Year awards - this event is co-organised by the European Patent Office and the European Commission with the support of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic and in partnership with the Czech Presidency of the EU Council.
For more information:
Event Website |
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2009-04-29/30, Warsaw, Poland, SME Union Poland Conference on Challenges for SMEs in Times of Crisis
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It is our pleasure to invite you to the SME Union Poland conference “Challenges for SMEs in Times of Crisis" is in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday 29 April 2009, preceding the Plenary Session of the EPP Congress, and to the Cultural programme the next day, on Thursday 30th April 2009. With speakers like Commission President Barosso and European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering the EPP’s pan-European campaign for the June European Parliament election will be launched. More than a dozen European heads of state or governments from our political family already announced their active contributions. The goal is to be victorious for the third parliamentary term in a row and, as in 2004, to receive again the democratic mandate to nominate the President of the European Commission. The SME Union Poland conference will focus on the needs of European entrepreneurs during the financial crisis and speakers like the former Economy Minister of Ukraine, Viktor Pynzenyk or Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Poland will discuss their remedy plans with us. Project Manager: Ece Kütükveren, +32 02 233 38 37.
For more information:
Conference Programme
EPP Congress Warsaw 2009
SME UNION Informal Working Breakfast |
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2009-05-06, Brussels, Breakfast Briefing on The Small Business Act For Europe - Nearly One Year On
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The Small Business Act (SBA), Europe’s first comprehensive SME policy framework, is aimed at making Europe more entrepreneurial and improving the business environment for SMEs. Now nearly a year down the line and in the context of the European Commission’s first SME week, SmallBusinessEurope is pleased to invite you to a breakfast briefing in Brussels on Wednesday 6 May 2009 to explore the progress of the Small Business Act for Europe. Ms. Rute will explain how the SBA has progressed so far and will share her insight into how it can be used to overcome the hardships SMEs face in the current economic climate. To register your attendance please complete and return the Registration Form attached (via email ) or fax +32 (0) 2 740 27 20.
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2009-05-12, Brussels, Workshop on What can the European Ombudsman do for SMEs?
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In this workshop, the European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, will explain what he can concretely do for SMEs and discuss examples of cases he has dealt with. The European Ombudsman receives more than 3.000 complaints each year from companies, citizens, associations and NGOs from all EU Member States. The Ombudsman investigates complaints against the EU administration, concerning, among others, lack of transparency in the EU institutions, late payments for EU projects, discrimination or unfairness. As a result of the Ombudsman's intervention, the EU administration has settled bills, paid interest, released documents, remedied injustices and put an end to discrimination. More than a quarter of the investigations opened by the Ombudsman are based on complaints from business, associations and other organisations. The Ombudsman manages to help around 80% of complainants by opening an inquiry into the case, transferring the complaint or advising the complainant where to turn for help. Often the advice is to contact a national or regional ombudsman in the Member State concerned. Please, register by 30 April 2009 (Registration Form ).
For more information:
Contact E-mail or Gundi Gadesmann, Media and External Relations Officer of the European Ombudsman, tel. +32 (0)2 2842609. |
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2009-05-12, Brussels, SME UNION Working Breakfast on EU Late Payment data and trends
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The SME UNION of the EPP in cooperation with Intrum Justitia will organize a Working Breakfast to which you are all kindly invited. The event will take place Tuesday, 12 May, 8:00h – 9:30h, at the Salon des Membres in the European Parliament. Project manager Raphael Friewald at +32 2 233 38 31 or sme@sme-union.eu.
For more information:
Programme |
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2009-05-12/13, Prague, Czech Republic, SME UNION Conference during SME Week
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We invite you to participate at the first European SME Week, organized by the European Commission, which will take place from 6 to 14 May 2009 all over Europe. This European wide campaign will promote entrepreneurship across our continent and it will inform entrepreneurs about support available for them at European, national and local level. The SME UNION is organizing a conference in cooperation with the SME Union of Czech Republic, Czech Chamber of Commerce, Polish Chamber of Commerce, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and EUROCHAMBRES on Wednesday 13 May morning in Prague. Project Manager: Zoran Rusnov, +32 02 233 38 36.
For more information:
Conference Programme
Events Programme |
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The SME UNION is organizing a conference in cooperation with the SME Union of Czech Republic, Czech Chamber of Commerce, Polish Chamber of Commerce, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and EUROCHAMBRES on Wednesday 13 May morning in Prague. Project Manager: Zoran Rusnov, +32 02 233 38 36.
For more information:
Conference Programme
Events Programme
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2009-06-29, Athens, Greece, SME UNION General Assembly 2009
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The SME UNION is organizing its next Presidency Meeting and will hold the Annual General Assembly 2009 on Monday 29 June afternoon in Athens, in cooperation with our Greek business friends from Nea Demokratia. This event will be held in the framework of the EPP-ED study days, giving our members the chance to meet all the newly elected EPP-ED MEPs. Project Manager: Theresa Führer, +32 2 233 38 - 32, sme@sme-union.eu. More information will follow. |
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Service & Information |
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How do you think EU could improve your life?
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We invite you to join the website tellBarroso.eu! In an effort to respond to European citizens opinion and priorities, tellBarroso.eu offers you the opportunity to participate in European decision making and constructing the future (10 participants will join Barroso to discuss the results)!
For more information:
Tell Barroso.eu |
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SME UNION President Leitl Interview on Cutting Red Tape for SMEs
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The European Parliament launched its election communication strategy with a raft of questions about regulation. The inspiration for such must owe much to Christoph Leitl. The EUReporter interviewed our President on these issues. Read the full interview on page 25 of the attached file:
For more information:
EU Reporter, March 2009 |
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SME UNION on EPP DialogueTV
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SME UNION Secretary General gave an interview to the EPP Dialogue TV on the role of the SME UNION, SMEs and the current ecomomic situation. In order to access the interview, click on the link below, go to the section "A Prosperous Europe" and click on "SMEs: From Red Tape to Red Carpet". Watch the interview on line!
SMEs: From Red Tape to Red Carpet |
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SME UNION EP election Manifesto: 9 Reasons for 2009
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If business goes well, all are well! 9 good reasons why entrepreneurs will vote for the European Peoples Party for the European Parliamentary Elections 2009 (Spring 2009 update). Politics don’t create jobs, it is the entrepreneurial spirit of the people that do so. Politics create the economic, fiscal and logistic environment in which entrepreneurial initiative can prosper. This is the understanding of the role politics have to play by the European People’s Party, the largest political group in the European Parliament. Below you find the nine reasons, put forward by the SME UNION of the EPP why European businessmen will vote for the EPP family parties and their candidates for the June 2009 Parliamentary Elections. Read the SME UNION Reasons to vote the EPP-ED Group in the next European elections.
9 Reason for 2009 |
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SME Circle EP elections document
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This document, prepared by the SME Circle lead-managed by its chairman MEP Becsey, aims at supporting EPP-ED Members during their election campaign and to enable them to quickly overview what the EPP-ED Group has done to the benefit of SMEs within the current legislative term.
For more information:
SME Achivements, April 2009 |
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Latest SME Women Newsletter, March 2009
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We have just published the latest issue of our publication dedicated to Women Entrepreneurship with the Foreword written by Corien Wortmann-Kool, President of the Working Group SME Women.
For more information:
SME Women Newsletter March 2009
SME Women Newsletter |
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Brand new edition: The EntreprenEUr
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Read our last SME UNION publication focusing on the European Parliament elections directly online! (please consider that qualtity of pictures is limited due to the compression of the file)
The EntreprenEUr Nr 18 |
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SME UNION Annual Report 2008 published!
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2008 was one of the busiest years for the SME UNION. Please find below the electronic version of our Annual Report where you can find a summary of all of our work accomplished during the last year.
Read it online first.
Annual Report 2008 |
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SMEs priorities to Swedish Presidency
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A delegation led by UEAPME Secretary General Andrea Benassi met on 2nd April the Swedish Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU, Ambassador Ulrika Barklund Larsson, and presented her with a first draft document outlining the main SME policy priorities for the upcoming Swedish EU Presidency. European crafts and small enterprises are deeply affected by the current financial and economic crisis, which is first and foremost a crisis of confidence, stressed Mr Benassi.A special eur5 billion loan guarantee scheme to encourage banks to extend credit to small businesses has been proposed by the association representing European chambers of commerce. The fund would be administered by the European Investment Bank and could see up to eur350 billion in loans allocated to SMEs. Banks are currently insisting that SMEs requesting loans provide higher levels of collateral than were required in the past. "Loan guarantees from Europe would be a major help in solving this problem. We are proposing eur5 billion to start with," Abruzzini said. The proposal is one of a series of measures designed to protect SMEs from the impact of the ongoing financial crisis which were put forward by Eurochambres in a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm on Monday 6 April. In a document presented to the Swedish government, which assumes the rotating EU presidency from the Czech Republic external on 1 July, Eurochambres was critical of the time the European Commission is taking to publish the "already heavily overdue" revamp of the Late Payments Directive. The group also urged the Swedish Presidency external to devise a new jobs and growth plan built on the acquis of the current Lisbon Strategy, which expires next year. It wants Sweden to apply pressure on the EU institutions to integrate e-signatures into their e-procurement processes, reduce administrative barriers to such contracts and ensure rapid implementation of the Small Business Act.
For more information:
EurActive Article, 7/4/2009
EU Work Programme by the Swedish Government
Restoring confidence for a new start: UEAPME Priorities for the Swedish Presidency |
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Trade mark protection in the EU gets much cheaper and easier to obtain
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The European Commission and EU Member States have decided to lower further the fees payable to the Community agency responsible for granting EU-wide trade mark rights, OHIM (Office for the Harmonization in the Internal Market, located in Alicante, Spain), and to simplify the registration procedure. This measure, which follows an initial reduction in 2005 (IP/05/1289 ), will make trade mark protection much cheaper and easier to obtain for businesses operating in the EU single market, saving them some €60 million a year. It will come into force on 1 May 2009. Currently companies pay two separate fees for trademark protection – one for application and another for registration. Starting in May 2009, these will be replaced by a single fee to save time. Instead of 1.750 EUR for the registration of a EU trademark, costs are decreased to 1.050 EUR and for Internet-registration there is even a cost reduction from 1.600 EUR to 900 EUR. Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said: "This is good news for businesses in Europe. The substantial reduction in fees and the simplification of procedure means much more affordable and easier access to EU-wide trade mark protection. This will promote entrepreneurship and stimulate economic activity, which is essential in times of economic crisis. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises, for which the costs and procedure of obtaining this protection are often a heavy burden, will profit from these improvements." OHIM's President, Wubbo de Boer, said: "For a small company, protecting your trade mark at the Community level, protects your future right to have free access to the single European market for your goods and services. For larger companies it is an essential tool for doing business internationally."
For more information:
Europa Press Release, 31/3/2009
EC Website Internal Market-Trademark Fees
The Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union (OHIM) |
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EU funding and support for companies in practice
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The three EU RDTI funding instruments, FP7, the CIP and the SF offer a wide range of funding and support opportunities for several types of beneficiaries:
* individual researchers and PhD students;
* companies;
* research organisations and universities;
* non-governmental organisations (NGOs),
* business or research associations, chambers
of commerce;
* policy-makers and programme managers;
* other research infrastructures.
The diagram, on page 26-27 of the publication Research eu, serves as an example to illustrate such opportunities for companies. It is also hoped that this will help the reader
to identify potential synergies between funding opportunities.
For more information:
Research eu Focus
Practical Guide to EU funding opportunities for Research and Innovation |
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Internet Portal Enterprise Europe Network to help SMEs enter the markets throughout the EU
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The new Internet portal Enterprise Europe Network of the European Commission is established to provide information for companies that want to do business in other European countries. The portal was created in close cooperation with Member States and is part of the implementation of the Small Business Act (SBA). The services are specifically designed for SMEs and should help them selling their products throughout the EU.
For more information:
Enterprise Europe Network Website |
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Call just open: Erasmus for young entrepreneurs
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This pilot project offers new entrepreneurs the possibility to work for up to 6 months with an experienced entrepreneur in his/her SME in another EU country. The specific objective is to contribute to enhancing entrepreneurship, internationalisation and competitiveness of potential start-up entrepreneurs in the EU and newly established micro and small enterprises. This new call for proposals aims to help new EU entrepreneurs enrich their experiences, learning and networking by spending periods in enterprises run by experienced entrepreneurs in other EU Member States. The total budget available is eur4,3 Million. The deadline for submission of applications is 29 May 2009.
For more information:
Call for Proposal |
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Reports and studies from Think Small First Expert Group
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In line with the “Think Small First” principle enshrined in the “Small Business Act” for Europe, the report of the expert group is an attempt to provide guidance to policy makers on how to better treat their SMEs or simply on how to “Think small first”. The report is a tool designed to help Member States with the implementation of the SBA for Europe.
For more information:
Executive Summary
Think Small First: Report of the Expert Group |
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Regional EU support for your SMEs in your Region
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To see the impact of the European Regional Policy as well as the Cohesion Instruments in every Member state, the EC published factsheets for every EU Member States. Find here the factsheets which also includes the inter-regional impacts:
EC Inforegio-Factsheets |
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Enterprise policy and the European elections
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The European Parliament elections in June are the opportunity for European citizens to choose their representatives, who will shape EU policies for the next five years. The new, or re-elected, Members of the European Parliament will have a major influence in determining how EU legislation supports entrepreneurs and enterprises. In this article, we hear from several MEPs on the key issues in the enterprise and industry field. In the first week of June 2009(1), around 375 million voters across the 27 European Union Member States have the chance to vote on who they want to see represent them in the European Parliament for the next five years. In the EU’s only directly elected institution, the Parliament’s Members (MEPs) are the representatives of almost 500 million EU citizens in the EU’s law-making process. The Parliament is the Union’s joint law-maker, alongside the Council (made up of representatives of each Member State’s government), in the so-called co-decision procedure used to adopt the majority of EU legislation. MEPs can, and do, vote to amend the European Commission’s legislative proposals, and proposals can only come into law when Parliament and Council agree on the complete text. Who you, and your fellow citizens, elect as MEPs therefore has a direct impact on future EU laws.
For more information:
The Magazine of Enterprise Policy |
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SMEs could be trickled down by investements in major national industries
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Speaking ahead of the European Business Summit (26-27 March), Françoise Le Bail, deputy director-general at the EU executive's enterprise department, rejected suggestions that efforts to boost industry were being targeted at large businesses rather than boosting SMEs. "When the member states invest in, for example, the automotive sector, they are investing not just in big companies but they are also supporting the great numbers of SMEs which work in this particular area." The comments come as French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde announced external that her government was working on proposals to save niche carmaker Heuliez, which has run into difficulty, putting 1,000 jobs at risk. France's bailout of its national auto industry has been steeped in controversy amid accusations of protectionism.
For more information:
Euractiv Article, 24/3/2009 |
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Companies’ access to finance: a European action plan
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The financial crisis continues to inflict severe disruptions to the global economy. The current economic paralysis is a direct consequence of a severely worse environment for corporate finance and a heightened degree of risk aversion. Unless additional actions are taken to improve access to finance for companies, a further escalation in the crisis could be expected in coming months as rising default risk and financial sector losses lead to a new round of financing restrictions. The report, published on 27 March 2009, proposes recommendations which are far-reaching but practical and conducive to a rapid return of self-sustaining activities by commercial banks and capital markets.
For more information:
Report |
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Economic sentiment continues to drop in March in both regions but at a slower pace
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The Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN) conducts regular harmonized surveys for different sectors of the economies in the European Union (EU) and in the applicant countries. They are addressed to representatives of the industry (manufacturing), the services, retail trade and construction sectors, as well as to consumers. These surveys allow comparisons among different countries’ business cycles and have become an indispensable tool for monitoring the evolution of the EU and the euro area economies, as well as monitoring developments in the applicant countries. In March, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for the EU and the euro area declined again, but more slowly than in the first two months of the year amid signs of stabilization in some sectors. It fell by 0.6 points in the EU, and by 0.7 points in the euro area, to 60.3 and 64.6 respectively. The indicators for both regions now stand at their lowest levels since the current series was launched in January 1985.
For more information:
Business and Consumer Surveys, European Commission Website
Ueapme Press Release, 12/3/2009
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SMEs are a quick path to market for innovation
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A leading French expert in technology transfer has highlighted research partnerships with SMEs as an efficient way to bring innovative new products to market. Bruno Sportisse, from the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA), said working with SMEs may be challenging but can have a major impact. Sportisse said INRIA had stepped up its partnerships with smaller firms, but it could be difficult to select the right companies to work with. Earlier this year INRIA founded a club of SMEs, drawing on some of the spin-off companies it has created in recent years. The institute has produced 95 start-ups in 25 years, with 70 of these being established in the past decade.
For more information:
Euractiv Article, 16/4/2009 |
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Irish SMEs will profit from Enterprise Stabilisation Fund
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The European Commission has sanctioned a temporary scheme which will allow the Irish government to grant aid to struggling businesses. The proposal for an Enterprise Stabilisation Fund was revealed in an emergency budget last week, but concerns were raised that it might contravene state aid rules. The Irish authorities may grant aid of up to €500,000 per firm in 2009 and 2010 to businesses facing problems as a result of the credit crunch. The aid will take the form of direct grants, reimbursable grants, interest rate subsidies and subsidised public loans. The scheme applies only to businesses which were not in difficulty on 1 July 2008, and whose problems can be attributed to the global liquidity crisis.
For more information:
Europa Press Release, 15/4/2009
Euractiv Article, 16/4/2009 |
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2009-03-3/8, USA, Official Opening of the SME Union Bulgaria US Office
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From 3rd March till 8th March 2009 the President and the Chair of the Board of the SME UNION Bulgaria Nadezhda Mihaylova together with business delegation from UK and Bulgaria visited USA for official opening of the SME UNION Bulgaria US Office.
Primary the delegation held meetings in Washington DC informing the new US administration about the main objects of the US office. The meetings took place in:
- US Senate – Senator George Voinovich
- US Senate – Senator Sherrod Brown and his legislative assistants of foreign relations, trade and work force
- US Congress - Congresswoman Betty Sutton and she’s legislative assistants of foreign relations and trade
- US Chamber of Commerce – departments International relations and Eurasia
On these meetings Mrs. Mihaylova met a strong interest and full support for the project. The stuff of the US office will continue working closely with all the representatives of the US administration achieving the expected goals. |
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The next point of visit of the delegation was Cleveland, Ohio. Because of the geographical location of the region, very well developed infrastructure of the roads, airports, rail and ports, highly skilled workforce and the strong support of the community SME UNION Bulgaria choose Cleveland as the place of establishing the US Office. The delegation met in Cleveland:
- Mayor Frank G. Jackson and his Economic development and Governmental affairs stuff, the City council – official reception
- Greater Cleveland Partnership /GCP/– the biggest Chamber of Commerce in the region, where the US office is hosted – Annual meeting of GCP where Mrs. Mihaylova had a speech and officially announced the US office and his Executive Director Mr. Dimitar Ivanov, also Executive Director of SME UNION Bulgaria
- the Cleveland Foundation – the third largest foundation in USA supporting the US office
- the representatives of the leading local businesses, financial institutions, law companies, journalists. |
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The main program the SME Union Bulgaria US Office will develop is organizing starting from 2010 the annual meeting in Cleveland of 100 EU companies with the US business. 100 companies with strong interest of establishing or developing the activities on the US market from all the 27 EU member’s countries will be identified and invited to visit Cleveland and meet their potential partners. Also the US office will support the initial interest of couple of American and European companies they announced to start their activities overseas. This new U.S. office for SME Union will be directed by Dimitar Ivanov, who is from Sofia, Bulgaria.
For more information:
Contact Email Ivanov
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2009-03-31, Brussels, SME UNION Working Breakfast on Solvency II
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The SME UNION together with Groupama Insurances organized a Working Breakfast on the topic of Solvency II – What value for EU Citizens and SME Owners. The moderation and introduction was made by Karsten Friedrich Hop-penstedt, EPP-ED Shadow Rapporteur on the Solvency II Directive and MEP Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. He gave a detailed description of the Solvency II directive, explaining the history of its development and the content of the directive, which offers a new form of supervision and more transparency. The advantages for SMEs are the guarantees, which are according to the European law, companies receive instead of direct investments. With Solvency II the EU is a role model for other countries like China.
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Helman le Pas de Secheval, CFO of Groupama, held the keynote speech and emphasized on the problems of the Solvency II directive. He was concerned about the capital provisions required under this legislation and the economic effects of it for the SME community. In his opinion, the Solvency II is modeled on the Basel II rules for the banking sector and it got transferred to the insurance sector without many adoptions. The third speaker, Tomás Trnka, Financial Attaché at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, explained that it has been a long discussion until the final development of the directive with many sides involved and he hopes that Solvency II is very successful in the future. The fourth impulse statement was made by Jean-Paul Gauzès, MEP Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and President of SME Start-Ups. He emphasized the difficulties during the development of Solvency II as in every member state of the EU there are different regulations which is also why it has taken more than two years to create the directive.
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Frédéric Soudain, Founder and Partner, LOGOS, Director of European Affairs of the Small Business Alliance, wondered if an impact assessment of the Solvency II was made while developing it, to see, if it would work effectively and if SMEs can gain from it. Peter Jungen, Co-President of the SME UNION, concluded by summing up the different statements of the speakers and the Working Breakfast finished with a discussion.
For more information:
Presentation Helman
European Parliament Press Release, 22/4/2009 |
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2009-04-01, Brussels, SME UNION Working Breakfast on Energy Performance of Buildings
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The SME UNION together with European Heating Industry (EHI) organized a Working Breakfast on the topic of Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and its Chances and Challenges for SMEs. The moderation and introduction was made by Paul Rübig, MEP Committee on Industry, Research and Industry and Honorary President of SME Global. He explained that houses have the highest energy usage and therefore he underlines that investing in efficiency is a return on investment. Money is invested in the right place with even a real outcome.
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The keynote speech was held by Udo Wasser, General Secretary of the Euro-pean Heating Industry and he emphasized the importance of a harmonization as well as the availability of modern technology to reasonable prices for consumers. He recommends the usage of the advantage of the European single market, in line with other European legislation. The third speaker, Pirjo-Liisa Koskimäki, Head of Unit of Energy Efficiency in the DG Energy and Transport of the Euro-pean Commission declared the economic importance of the energy efficiency. She claims a reduction of the administrative constraints that exist currently. In her opinion the energy performance improvements are very difficult to handle for households as many different companies have to be involved. Therefore one-stop-shops should be established. The new directive should balance energy per-formance and the primarily goals are maximizing energy efficiency as well as en-ergy efficiency investments. Andreas Lücke, the fourth speaker, is the General Secretary of German Industry Association for House, Energy and Environment Technology. He criticized the state of implementation of the directive in the EU member states. In his opinion there have to be more incentives to accelerate the speed of modernization which should not get forgotten next to the improvement of energy efficiency. A harmonization on European level would not just help SMEs but also the final consumer would benefit. |
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The last impulse statement was made by Peter Liese, MEP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. He stated that the heating sector is much less political and enjoys less media presence than other topics like nuclear power or wind energy, although it has a big impact on energy efficiency. Also in the heating sector the situation for companies and consumer has to be eased and cost efficiency has to be achieved. The conclusions were made by MEP Jan Hudacky, Shadow Rapporteur of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, who summed up the statements. The working breakfast was concluded with a discussion.
For more information:
EPP-ED Press Release, Adopted Report on energy performance of buildings, 23/4/2009 |
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2009-04-02, Brussels, SME UNION Working Breakfast on EU Competition Law & SMEs
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The SME Union together with EuroCommerce organized a Working Breakfast on the topic of EU Competition Law and SMEs. The moderation and introduction was made by Andreas Schwab, Member of Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and Member of SME Circle. In his introduction, Mr. Schwab welcomed all speakers and guests and presented the topic of the discussion "EU Competition law - does it discriminate against SMEs?". “As SMEs are the driving force of the internal market and an important source of innovation, they are in the focus of today discussion. Today, we are going to discuss the impact on SMEs of the 2006 penalty guidelines of the European Commission which provide for the method of setting fines against companies which have been involved in illegal cartel activities. According to a study prepared by economists, the 2006 guidelines could lead to fines which are 130% higher than under the former guidelines from 1998. This leads us to the question: does EU Competition law discriminate against SMEs? I am very happy to welcome representatives from French and German SMEs who will report from their experiences with EU Competition law and Mr. Mehta, Director Cartels in the Competition Directorate-General of the European Commission as experts on this topic."
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The first speaker, Michael Rosenthal, Principal Shareholder of Baerlocher Group Munich, illustrated the effects of the Commission’s fining policy from the point of view of a medium sized company.In his view the present Commission fining policy for violations of competition law discriminates SMEs. “The present fining policy of the European Commission, however, is to the disadvantage of medium-sized company, against large international companies”. Finally, Mr. Rosenthal addressed the consequences of high fines for medium-sized companies. Kirtikumar Mehta, Director for Cartels, DG Competition, stressed the non-discriminatory nature of EU competition law and policy with respect to SMEs. Mr Mehta stated that the competition policy instruments in use take, in fact, well into account the needs of SMEs in Europe, e.g. in the area of the Commission's state aid policy a General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) was recently adopted (July 2008) with the objective of refocusing state aid policy to better address SMEs' needs. With respect to the Commission's fight against cartels and its fining policy Mr Mehta stressed that SMEs (i.e. enterprises which have an annual turnover of less than EUR 50 million) have in the past few years only occasionally been addressees of Commission decisions imposing fines. Out of 87 undertakings fined in 16 separate decisions since 2007, only 8 undertakings would enter into the category of SMEs. Mr Mehta also pointed out that with the entry into use of the new 2006 fining guidelines the fines that the Commission imposes on undertakings are based more closely to the value of the actual sales in the cartel. For SMEs that have participated in a cartel such infringing sales are obviously lower than for larger undertakings. Mr Mehta also reminded that the Commission may, in exceptional cases, take into account in its fining policy particular financial difficulties of undertakings. According to Article 35 of the fining guidelines the Commission may take account of the undertaking's inability to pay in a specific social and economic context. Mr Mehta stressed that while the fining policy of the Commission is intended to have a deterrent effect on cartelists, the objective of competition policy is also the maintenance of the prevailing market structure after the adoption of a prohibition decision imposing fines." |
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Xavier Durieau, Secretary General of EuroCommerce, mentioned that competition pushes prices down and therefore consumer benefit from competition. He further complained that the Commission ignores a lot of important factors and stressed that competition policy should aim a sustainable market. The following speaker Jean-Pascal Pham-Ba, Secretary General of Solaire Direct, gave a general idea about his company that has a significant position on solar services in the French market. He said that SMEs are positively discriminated as only SMEs benefit from tax mechanism. Stephan Wernicke, Professor at Humboldt University Berlin, mentioned to the court of justice there is no discrimination as proportionality is guaranteed. In his view the Commission is not only protecting consumers but also SMEs. Michael Bauer, CMS Hasche Sigle EU Law Office Brussels, mentioned that there is no clear definition of SMEs. In his view there should be a difference between SMEs and multinational Players when imposing fines, because fines imposed on SMEs are much higher in terms of percentage of their turn-over. Therefore, it is time to start to change the fine policy as the fines should not damage the economic existence of a company. Christopher Scholz, Deputy Director General of German Brands Association, stressed that Art. 82 of the European Treaty covers only dominant partners but there is a need of effective protection for all SMEs. Jacques Toubon concluded by summing up the relevant points. He further stressed that the 2006 Guidelines on Antitrust Fines has to be reformed in order to achieve a more understandable competition law for consumers and businesses. |
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2009-04-15, Brussels, Working Breakfast on EU Maternity Leave
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The SME UNION together with Eurochambres and SME Women organized a Working Breakfast on EU Maternity Leave: Balancing Business & Babies. The introduction and moderation was held by Corien Wortmann-Kool, MEP Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, President of SME Women and Vice-President of the EPP. She introduced the first speaker, Belinda Pyke, Director for Equality between Men/Women of the European Commission, who hold the keynote speech on this very important topic by explain that the EU interest in maternity leave has two aspects: health and safety and equal treatment. Belinda Pyke underlined the issues of balancing private life and business carrier and also mentioned the problem of the current legislation of 1992 (Directive 92/85/EEC), which provides a time span of 14 weeks for mothers being on maternity leave, two of those must be taken before the delivery. Belinda Pyke introduced the new proposal of the EC, which would increase the maternity leave time span to 18 weeks and therefore will create a beneficial effect for women to reconcile private, family and professional life. |
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Ben Butters, Director of European Affairs of EUROCHAMBRES, stressed to bring the international trend into the proposal for 2010. This means an equal treatment for women and men at work and installing full payment instead of setting a ceiling between 60 to 80 per cent of the full salary. The possibility to return to the same quality and responsibility at work should also be a standard for women continuing their profession after the maternity leave. The flexibility on when to take maternity leave for pregnant women is also remarked as an important and supporting act. |
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Gustaf Lindgren, Counsellor of the Swedish Permanent Representation pointed out in his impulse statement that in Sweden, where family policy is seen as an important topic, they are concentrating on parental leave. This means that men are engaging themselves to participate at the parental leave already. A greater support of the maternity leave could weaken the strong parental leave policies in Sweden. The Swedish government is trying to link gender and economic policy in order to enhance the situation for expectant mothers on the labor market and is therefore organizing a conference during their presidency in October about the reconciliation of family and work life for women and gender equality. The Conclusions were made by Ildiko Voller-Szenci, Director of SME Women who was summing up the topic by emphasizing the importance of reconciliation of family and profession at the same time. The working breakfast was concluded with a discussion.
For more information:
Notes Pyke |
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2009-04-16, Brussels, Working Breakfast on SME Innovative Approach to Health
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The SME Union in cooperation with Planet of Health organized a Working Breakfast on alternative medicine. Alojz Peterle, MEP, Member of the SME Circle, Vice-President of the EPP and former Prime Minister of Slovenia. after some welcoming words, gave a brief introduction to the participants. The first speaker Igor Ogorevc, Founder of Planet of Health, presented the company he founded and its successes in the Dutch, Hungarian, Slovenian and Slovakian market. In order to care diseases and illnesses caused by bad blood circulation in the human body, Planet of Health has created some kind of water with special adjustments of minerals helping in curing many human diseases without the use of any conventional medicaments. They are even using a computerized diagnostics which permits to analyze blood values with 117 different indexes (in three minute time). This advanced technique should take a great innovation in having quick and reliable results. |
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Brane Bremsak, Manager of Planet of Health, started his intervention with a slogan “You are what you eat!”. As it happens for the healthy growth of the plants, drinking mineralized water will support the human body to have a better circulation. The European Commission was represented by Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, Director of Health Research in the DG for R&D. She strongly pointed out the necessity for the Commission to support SMEs: around 20% of pharmacies will face bankruptcy by the end of 2009 and they need to find new ways in order to find new solutions. She also focused on the importance to invest in new technologies. |
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Concluding words were given by Avril Doyle, MEP and Member of the SME Circle, Member of Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. She fully supported the claims done by Planet of Health but she even strongly recommended scientific publishing of the company research results. The event ended with a fruitful and interesting discussion by all participants who seemed really impressed by the result of Planet Health.
For more information:
Contribution Draghia-Akli
Planet Health Method Presentation
Planet of Health Website |
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Open consultation: Simplification of accounting rules for SMEs
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This consultation concerns the third step in the simplification of accounting rules for SMEs and other companies in the scope of the Fourth and Seventh Company Law Directives ("Accounting Directives"), which began with a fast-track proposal in 2008. A Member State option to create a new "micro" entity category in order to exempt them from the accounting requirements under the 4th Directive is being proposed by the European Commission simultaneously with the launch of this stakeholder consultation.
For more information:
EC Consultation |
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Commission consults publishing SMEs on innovation barriers and new business models
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The Commission has launched its first ever consultation devoted to Small and Medium Enterprises in the publishing sector: books, newspapers, and magazines. Publishing now provides nearly 700 000 jobs, in around 80 000 companies across today’s 27 Member States, most of them SMEs. The consultation will map out how publishing SMEs are responding to the evolving business environment and the changes brought about by new technologies. The results will help to better understand the difficulties publishing SMEs face and identify ways action at national and EU level can strengthen the sector during difficult economic times.
For more information:
Europa Press Release Rapid, 2/4/2009
EC Consultation |
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Working Time Directive - Socialists cause break down in negotiations
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Parliament and Council representatives met on Wednesday, 15 April 2009, in fruitful talks on the Working Time Directive, although a final agreement was not reached. The negotiating teams therefore reconvened on Thursday 23 April to try and find enough common ground for a final formal conciliation meeting on 27 and 28 April. Anyway, negotiations over the future of the EU Working Time Directive broke down as a direct result of the negotiating tactics of the Socialist Group, according to EPP-ED Employment & Social Affairs Coordinator Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP. The Socialist-dominated negotiating team interpreted their mandate from the Parliament very rigidly, and refused to accept compromises regarding on-call time which were on the table unless there was a parallel agreement to phase out the opt-out. It was obvious from the beginning that the blocking minority on the Council would never agree to this, and so the Parliament's "All or nothing" approach ensured that the result was nothing.
For more information:
EPP-ED Press Release, 28/4/2009
EP Press Release, 16/4/2009 |
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Boosting social protection of the self-employed and assisting spouses
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The EP Women's Rights Committee wants to make it compulsory for assisting spouses to have social security cover. MEPs are also keen to strengthen the maternity leave rights of self-employed women and assisting spouses. The EP has called repeatedly on the European Commission for a revision of the existing EU directive, to improve the social security cover of assisting spouses and strengthen the maternity rights of self-employed women and assisting spouses, says the report by Astrid Lulling (EPP-ED, LU) adopted at first reading under the co-decision procedure by 23 votes to 0 with 2 abstentions. Procedure: Co-decision - first reading; Committee vote: 23 for, 0 against, 2 abstentions. Plenary Vote: Strasbourg, May 2009.
For more information:
EP Legisltive Observatory |
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All new buildings to be zero energy from 2019
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All buildings built after 31 December 2018 will have to produce their own energy on-site, said the Industry Committee, amending the 2002 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. MEPs also called for more public investments in energy-efficient buildings. By 31 December 2018 at the latest EU Member States must ensure that all newly-constructed buildings produce as much energy as they consume on-site - e.g. via solar panels or heat pumps, says a report drawn up by Silvia-Adriana Ţicău (PES, RO). The Commission proposal did not include any specific target dates for zero-energy buildings. The Industry Committee also wants Member States to set intermediate national targets for existing buildings, i.e. to fix minimum percentages of buildings that should be zero energy by 2015 and by 2020 respectively. MEPs define zero-energy buildings as buildings "where, as a result of the very high level of energy efficiency of the building, the overall annual primary energy consumption is equal to or less than the energy production from renewable energy sources on site". By the end of 2010, the Commission should establish a detailed common European definition of "net zero energy buildings", states the amended directive. European Structural Funds will soon include investments in energy efficiency and renewable energies in house building. This means, the EU is also funding the installation of double-glazing, the insulation of facades, solar collectors for build-ings and the replacement of old hot-water heaters. There will be a ceiling of 4% of all financial means from the European Funds for Regional Development (ERDF).
For more information:
EP Procedure File
European Voice Article, 2/3/2009
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) |
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Capital Requirements Directive: Successful and satisfactory result needed
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Othmar Karas "The European Parliament will make use of every available minute to negotiate a successful and satisfactory result on the Capital Requirements Directive. As Parliament's Rapporteur, I want to reach an agreement between all three EU institutions before the end of this legislative term. I welcome and support the decision to postpone the vote on the CRD to the May plenary session. This will give us the necessary time to iron out the last remaining details", sais EPP-ED Vice-Chairman Othmar Karas MEP, Parliament's Rapporteur on the Capital Requirements Directive.
For more information:
EPP-ED Press Release, 16/4/2009 |
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EC takes action against Late Payment
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On April 8th 2009 the European Commission has proposed a new political approach in the framework of the Small Business Act (SBA) to fight late payment. Within the EU there should be counteraction against late payment when there is business between public bodies and enterprises. Public bodies should set an ex-ample and pay bills within 30 days. The proposal should help in times of economic decline and improve the internal financing of European companies. Furthermore, the elimination of these obstacles would ease border-crossing business and make it more appealing. Reminding you that on Tuesday 12 May 2009, in the European Parliament, there will be a SME UNION Working Breakfast on this topic (see the section Upcoming Events), for more information:
Europa Press Release, 8/4/2009 |
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Patents in the EU single market: EC Proposal
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The EC approves a new proposal to establish a common legislation for patents in the EU single market. This new legislation should overall improve the legal secu-rity for SMEs, decrease costs and ease the juridical decision of patent rights.
For more information:
Communication from the Commission, 24/3/2009 |
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New common rules for electricity and gas markets
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The EPP-ED Group is in favor of the new common rules to introduce more competition in the electricity and gas sectors as a means to introduce more competition in these markets, a step forward for the integration of EU energy markets and, last but not least, more choice for consumers.
After two years of tough negotiations with the EU Council of Ministers, the Parliament approved the five legislative proposals composing the Third Energy Package: two Directives to regulate the internal market for electricity and gas, and three Regulations to address the conditions for access to electricity and gas networks and to set up the Agency for the Co-operation of Energy Regulators. A new EU Agency for the Co-operation of Energy Regulators will be set up to monitor the internal market in gas and electricity. Giles Chichester MEP, responsible for the Regulation, said that even if the Agency will not have the independence and decision-making powers that the Parliament wanted, its competences "will give the Agency ample opportunities to bring about change" in these markets.
For more information:
European Parliament Press Release, 22/4/2009 |
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Cross-Border Healthcare: new opportunities for patients
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Since 1998, the European Court of Justice has held that patients have the right to be reimbursed for healthcare received in another Member State. This Report clarifies how to apply the principles set out in the case. Patients will be able to access healthcare in other EU countries and be reimbursed up to the amount that they would receive in their home countries. Parliament approved plans to give Europeans the right to seek healthcare abroad more easily and be reimbursed for the costs. MEPs also want patients to be properly informed about their rights when they are treated outside their home Member State. The draft report by John Bowis (EPP-ED, UK) on this matter was adopted by 297 votes to 120 with 152 abstentions.
For more information:
European Parliament Press Release, 23/4/2009
EPP-ED Press Release, 23/4/2009 |
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| Newsletter May 2009 |
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